Breaking! ASUU declares nationwide strike

Breaking! ASUU declares nationwide strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU has declared a one-month nationwide strike at the just concluded National Executive Council NEC meeting held in Lagos.

According to PremiumTimes, the union relunctantly took the decision despite interventions by prominent Nigerians.

He said the decision was to save Nigeria’s university system considering what he described as the deteriorating state of Nigerian universities. He said government’s alleged recalcitrance made the position unavoidable.

“The indefinite and total strike is for four weeks . We hope govt would do the needful within the next four weeks,”

The union on Sunday night had scheduled a meeting it tagged “NEC for NEC” for midnight on Sunday to take the final decision on behalf of the various congresses of its chapters.

The meeting was a follow-up to the then ongoing two-day marathon meeting which had kicked off on Saturday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

ASUU rounded off its “NEC for NEC” meeting at about 3 a.m on Monday when the branch chairman of the union in UNILAG, Dele Ashiru, confirmed that the national President, Emmanuel Osodeke, would address the media by 9 a.m. on Monday.

ASUU’s demands

The demands of the lecturers’ union have barely changed since the signing of the ASUU/FG 2009 agreement.

These demands include the sustainability of the university autonomy, which the union said the introduction of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for the payment of its emoluments violates. The union seeks its replacement with its own University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

Other demands include the endorsement of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, which it said was concluded in May, 2021; release of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities and distortions in salary payment challenges.

ASUU also demands funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, improved funding of state universities and promotion arrears.